Time In Exile - Book 2 in the DWWC Extra Adventures
Beginning Eyes flickering open, the Doctor awoke to a familiar surrounding. It was not Gallifrey, he was sure of that, but it was more familiar than his own home planet. "Doctor?" An even more familiar ginger tabby she-cat meowed, questioning in her voice. "A-am I..... In TimeClan?" He stammered taking wary glances around. This was no delusion. This was real. He was in TimeClan. Very strange. He'd thought his punishment would be worse than this. Not that his own Clan was bad, but still. "Yeah, so anyway, Timestar, do you want to address your Clan about your absence?" The Doctor laughed humorlessly. "Very funny, Sparrowfang. Is there something you're not telling me?" The young Time Lord glanced around, to the Doctor's annoyance, and whispered. " I may have to stay off duties for a bit." "And?" " I may be having Nightfall's kits. Again. Why you asking this? You're not my father or anything." The Doctor shrugged. "Felt like asking. Intuition." Without another word, he scampered out of his den and for Time Rock. " And I know you're all wondering why I went missing for these past few months." The Doctor gazed upon his Clan, making up a quick lie as he went along. " You see, I had received an omen from Moongem." He nodded to his half-sister. "I had been on a quest, and was captured by a band of rouges, and held captive with my friends and me against my will. They offered to set me free, but on a condition: my friends and I must depart ways." He choked back those words, which in part, were true. I will never see Whitewhisker and Eagle Feather again. "I agreed." The Embers A moon passed, and soon, the Doctor had almost forgotten about his exile. ALMOST. He had placed Tealmask, Sparrowfang's elder sister, as stand-in deputy while the ginger she-cat had moved to the nursery. Now, he was battle training with Timepaw, the apprentice Medicine Cat, who kept complaining. " I don't understand. Why do I have to train? I'm a medicine cat! And why is it the leader training me and not the medicine cat?" "Shut your blabber mouth and listen. First, even medicine cats meet Warriors in battle. Next, I'm her brother and she trusts me." The Doctor swiped at Timepaw's cheek, knocking her over with a loud moan of complaint. " I wasn't ready." " A Warrior doesn't hesitate when you're not ready. They go for the throat. Sometimes, quite literally. So shut up and listen." The Doctor set his paws on the ground, only to yank them back up again as he was burned. "What in the name of.." He gazed at his paw pads, in where the skin was already peeling. "Since when did the ground get so hot?" Timepaw placed her forepaws on the ground in where the Doctor had placed them seconds before. "It's fine with me." The tortoiseshell stared up at him, then her eyes widened to black pools of realization. "I've gotta take you to Moongem." With renewed enthusiasm, she darted away. The Doctor limped slowly behind her, his hind leg bothering him again. " So you say the ground burned you?" Moongem asked as she dressed the Doctor's paw pads with a poultice. The blue gray tom winced, then the multicolored she-cat took two leaves and wrapped them around each paw. "Yeah, you could say that, but Timepaw here was fine." The apprentice confirmed his statement with a brisk nod, and held out her own forepaws to prove it. The Doctor flexed his right hind leg to test it. "This stupid thing's been bothering me again. " " I told you to stay off the broken leg until it was healed. You yourself are being the stupid one. " As Timepaw left, the Doctor started protesting. "Did Cinderpelt listen?" " She was hit by a car. You fell from the camp rock. Different stories." Moongem rolled her eyes. "Well, you feel unconscious, but still." The Doctor flexed the leg again. "Might be stiff or something. But we're going off track. What d you think the burnt paws mean?" Moongem opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a shriek from Tealmask. "The camp is under attack!" Chances Without hesitation, the Doctor leaped into battle against the enemy, who he realized, was DeathClan, an army of warriors he had faced so many times before in his five hundred years. But, what was odd about this, Aquafinity, their leader, wasn't among them. His paws thudded hard on the ground, sending shots of pain up through his forelegs, but he didn't care. A DeathClan warrior leaped out of the way of its ally, and went straight for him. He was caught by surprise, and was hurled to the ground. The warrior dealt a blow to his ear and left cheek, before making its way into the midst of battle. What was that about? But he was soon to realize: Aquafinity had come. Her gazed searched the battle several moments before locking with his. An evil sneer made its way across her face, before she dove straight for him with lightning speed. It was her that caught him by surprise next, but she was more fierce. She pinned him down by his shoulders, lowering her head so very close to his face. "I thought I'd give you a warm welcome. Oh wait, I've got nothing to offer you. " Her sneer grew wider. " I've been waiting four hundred years to kill you, so why don't I make it easier for the both of us." With one swift move, she tore off the Doctor's left ear completely. He forced back the howl of pain that dared to come into his throat. "Oh, isn't this fun." Aqua unsheathed her claws more, digging them deeper into the Doctor's shoulders. "I want to see you scream." The Doctor went devious. "Try me." Aquafinity got off him, sneer disappearing completely. " Sure?" The Doctor smirked. " Get me." With another swift move, she tore forward, and ripped the Doctor's coat along his spine, and tore a gash in his back. She kicked him onto his side, making another gash in his left hind leg. The Doctor bared his teeth, but didn't scream. Aquafinity was still too fast;as he got up, she knocked him back over and ripped another gash in his throat. The Doctor was too weak to defend her further attacks, and failed to suppress a gurgling howl from this mouth. "TimeClan, retreat!" The warriors from both Clans disappeared, and the Doctor's head fell back, his eyes closing.